The Pale Spartan
by MoistButCrispy
Summary: After her death at the hands of Cinder Fall, Pyrrha's soul was eventually ensnared by Salem. There, she got a new body, the body of a Grimm. this body decides to listen to its new master and helps her to 'escape' Salem. little do they know that Salem has a plan... will Pyrrha reunite with Jaune? would he even accept her now that she has become the monster he has sworn to destroy?


**The Pale Spartan**

 **Hello! this is my second story, hopefully it'll go better than the first one is/did. this story follows the adventures of Pyrrha and Faux, her new Grimm body that looks identical to her, except for the pale white skin and red and black eyes. .**

 ***For the most part, Faux is different from most Grimm, he was given sentience and total independence from Salem. he can regenerate limbs over time and can do long-range grabs like how Cinder's Grimm arm worked against Raven during their volume 5 fight.**

 ***I am assuming that Salem's castle is in the dragon continent. apologies if it turns out to not actually be there in canon.**

 **Chapter 1: The Pale Spartan**

 **Start:**

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Pyrrha sat broken before Cinder as the black-haired woman cupped her chin. There was one thing she thought about this...'Fall maiden'.

She didn't deserve that power.

Not in the slightest.

"Do you believe in destiny?" She hissed.

The witch's eyes narrowed. "Yes..." She stood up and took a step back before forming a bow made entirely out of glass from thin air. She drew an arrow and aimed at the Spartan's heart.

Pyrrha's eyes went wide as the arrow tore through her ribcage and pierced her heart. The pain was unlike anything she had ever known. There were many ways that one could describe what was happening; That she was in the process of pushing up the daisies, about to cross the river Styx, preparing to walk through the valley of shadows, but Pyrrha could only think of the most simple variant right now.

She was dying, and nothing could save her now. Out of the corner of her eye she saw her friend, Ruby Rose land on the side of the tower. Pyrrha opened her mouth to warn her away but no sound came out, the shock of her injury had left her trapped in her mind. 'No...leave'

Pyrrha Nikos, the 'invincible' girl, the person who had become a world-renowned fighter before the age of seventeen failed when the world needed her most. As she drew her final breath, the fallen Spartan could only watch as Cinder waltzed up to her, grabbed her circlet and incinerated her body in a heartbeat.

But...Pyrrha was still there, the colour slowly drained from the world as she stood up. She looked down at herself to see her white, translucent form. 'W-what the?'

Suddenly, a loud scream tore Pyrrhas gaze away from herself for a moment. She looked up just in time to see ruby unleash a wall of white light. As it passed by Pyrrha, her vision began to fade as everything went black.

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Pyrrha awoke in a black void, in every direction she stared...the abyss stared back. This...place was separate from time and thus flowed at a faster speed than it does in the real world. minutes here could mean months, or even centuries in the abyss.

'Is this my punishment for failing?' She was trying to keep herself from panicking, but she was failing miserably 'I-I'm stuck here...' Pyrrha sat down but was shocked to find that she had sat down on a strange, otherworldly chair. The world came back into existence and she realised that she was in a meeting hall. a large, terrifying throne made out of obsidian and bone sat at the head, but what was more terrifying was the woman sitting in it. She wore a black and red dress, her skin and hair were as white as snow but her eyes...they were the eyes of a Grimm. Pyrrha tried to stand, to move, to speak, to do anything really! But she couldn't move any of her spectral limbs as the woman spoke in a cold, threatening voice that could possibly be confused as that of a stern mother's.

"Ahh, Pyrrha Nikos...there you are. Come along now, dear." As the woman stood, feeling returned to Pyrrha's...body? and she stood up as well. Blackened purple curtains shielded the room from any outside light, yet something seemed to be off about this place aside from its strange colour scheme. Pyrrha followed the white-haired woman through a multitude of halls until they reached a purple stone door. The door swung open on its own as the woman walked up to it. inside the small room, there lay a single surgical table but more importantly, a tanned man with dark grey hair stood by, evidently waiting for something.

"good day madam, is...is the girl here yet?" For a few moments, silence fell upon the room, To the eyes of both Pyrrha and this strange Grimm lady, the Spartan was standing to the lady's left, in plain view of the rather smug-looking doctor-man.

'Can...Can he not see me?' Pyrrha thought to herself. Questions began and continued to bubble up inside of her mind, casually threatening to break out without any warning.

"Yes Arthur, she is with me. Ms. Nikos, if you could please sit on the b-"

"Who are you? Am I dead? what is this place? and... why are your eyes like that, exactly?" Pyrrha blurted out, interrupting the woman as she spoke. the woman glared daggers at her, her eyes blazing red for a moment before settling down,

"you will understand everything soon... but for now, I am trying to save your soul and give you a body, so if you would lay on that bench, then we can begin." Arthur watched the seemingly one-sided conversation as the two seemingly went back and forth a few times with an intrigued look on his face. he couldn't see the currently dead Spartan and never actually even met her, but he did know her name and what it meant.

He knew that, at the very least, she could be useful. That being why he had recommended that Cinder should've instead captured her, rather than to simply execute the poor girl.

Pyrrha slowly made her way to the bench, seeing no other option. 'If this woman is really going to give me a new body, then I have to, I'm just going to stay dead otherwise...and I'll never see Jaune again if I stay dead...' Her ghostly heart throbbed at the mere thought of never seeing him again.

His golden hair, his deep blue eyes that were always so full of kindness, his akward smile, his sheer determination...Why, she could go on for years just thinking about what she liked about him.

But unfortunately, she had other things to do right now.

She placed a ghostly hand on the side of the bench before looking back to the woman. She had to get the answer to THIS question, at the very least. "Why am I here?"

"After you died, I decided to capture your soul through means that you don't need to worry yourself with...and give you a new body."

Pyrrha thought for a moment before asking another question "Why?"

"Because, my child, you have the power to change everything. You were slain in a place where few would remember you and even less would care. Your real destiny was to save this world from it's current fate but you were cut off before you could do so. I will help you achieve your true potential..."

"And what potential is that?" Pyrrha questioned as she lay on the surgical table. Despite her being an incorporeal ghost that...really should've been able to simply wal through the walls or fall through the floor without her being able to stop herself, the table felt as cold as ice.

The Grimm lady turned to the grey-haired doctor. "She is on the table now Arthur, you may begin your work."

"Most excellent, ma'am. Now...Pyrrha darling, can you hear me? I'm about to start the procedure, try not to move..." The doctor walked over to a lever on the wall and pulled it down. Suddenly, various machines whirred to life and Pyrrha lay motionless as a body, which looked strangely similar to hers but had skin as white as snow was slowly lowered onto her. "Salem, ma'am. Are we ready to begin?" The Grimm lady, Salem, walked around the table to make sure that the body fitted Pyrrha's ghostly form perfectly before nodding to the doctor.

"You may begin."

Arthur pulled a second lever, as he did so, the Spartan felt herself...connect with the body. As it connected with her, the voice of a young, enthusiastic man whom she had never heard before appeared in her mind. " _Hello ma'am! I am Faux! My previous master, my mother, Salem, created me to serve as both your guide and vessel! The bonding process is nearly complete...don't move for a moment, okay?_ "

'O-okay...' She squeaked in response. Pyrrha couldn't identify the source of the noise, so it must be the body that she was in that was talking to her. 'Are you this... body? If you don't mind me saying do, you don't quite suit your...voice'

The voice chuckled dryly. ' _Hahaha, no, I suppose I don't. Though it does suit you perfectly, that's why this body is yours, it's a replacement for your real one. Just think of me as a helping hand until you get used to it and I fade into your subconsious...if I eventually do, that is_.' Faux seemed to be quite an enthusiastic...person? voice...yeah, voice. Though he wasn't overly enthusiastic.

So that was nice.

On top of that, getting a new body was nice, but one question plagued her mind above all others right now.

And considering she couldnt shout out the words 'WHAT THE FUCK' right now, which would obviously be the best way to ask for a full desription on everything, she went for the next best thing. 'So...what are you exactly?'

' _...Long story short, I'm a Grimm. Long story long...I am a Grimm, but a Grimm that you now own. I have been given the same level of sentience that the average human possesses, orders aside from 'kill everything' and a human-like form. The white haired woman is my creator. She...can bend grimm to her will and even change them at will with her semblance, she spent quite a while making me for you...does that answer satisfy you, Master?_ ' Faux is a Grimm...this means that she, technically, is also a Grimm now...

'Faux...'

Faux could assume what she was going to say but didn't exactly know how to answer. ' _Yes, Master? Oh, by the way, considering you own me and we are technically one, you are my Master now, okay?_ '

'Okay, sure. Listen, Faux. If you're a Grimm, and I'm in control of you...then am I a Grimm too?' Her thoughts were becoming panicked.

' _Well...no, but yes but also no...you have the body of a Grimm that looks like and has been repurposed to be as close to human as possible...even including various body parts that Grimm dont usually have, your welcome. But you...well, we... also the soul of a human. So...a Grimm humanoid with a human soul...I'd say your about one quarter Grimm, at the most._ '

Pyrrha's mind went blank. 'I'm a Grimm...'

' _Okay yeah, your a Grimm. Wait, no!...' Faux realised that Pyrrha had just influenced his thoughts, so he could probably do the same in turn. "I'm the Grimm! You're the human here, don't make me have more emotion than you, that'd make no sense! When together we aren't just a mindless Grimm... you are a human and I am a Grimm, together we can be more..._ ' Faux attempted to reason with the Spartan (Who was currently having a mental breakdown whilst being trapped inside of her mind), to make her realise that she was still...technically human.

Faux waited a few moments to see if she could calm herself down. A loud sigh echoed in their mind as he realised that no, she would not be calm enough to string together coherent thoughts anytime soon.

' _Listen master, you are a human, L'm simply a vessel that you use to live now...and it just so happens that said vessel is technically a grimm..._ ' Pyrrha was hardly listening to her new acquaintance, her focus had twisted somewhat as to what she would do now... could she ever be with Jaune now?

It was at this moment that Faux also realised that he could read her personal thoughts, whereas before Pyrrha was thinking in her bodies mind but now she was thinking within her soul, which is a strange enough prospect in and of itself. ' _Hey, hey! Don't worry about it. I'm certain that whoever this Jaune guy is, truly loves you...and won't care if you have a grimm body...we still look like an absolute bombshell...despite the...white skin and the...red veins along our arms, at least we don't have any of those on out face...and the rest of it..._ '

Suddenly, before Faux could continue trying to calm Pyrrha down, the two felt a searing pain all over their body for a moment. Pyrrha, now in control of their now-shared body, rolled off of the table and landed on the hard ground with a thud, "Uuuhhhh..." Pyrrha rolled onto her back to see Salem and Arthur looking down at her. She looked at her new body... her skin's colour looked exactly the same as Salem's, like freshly fallen snow. But more importantly... she was naked, Pyrrha blushed as she covered herself with her hands while glaring at Arthur, who swiftly realised the issue.

"Oh, my apologies, miss." The Doctor turned around as he placed a hand over his eyes before continuing. "Though, if I may...how do you feel? Has the...process, worked?"

Salem moved to block Arthur's already more-than-hidden sight from the girl, who has since sat up next to the table. "It appears to have worked, Faux has given you full control, yes?" the nervous Spartan nodded quickly at the Witch. "Good. Now, come along, you will be needing some clothes."

And with that, Pyrrha followed Salem out of the room on shaky legs and the two once again began walking through various halls, though the pale Spartan still had a few burning questions, she did her best to remain silent."You need not be silent child. If you have any questions, then I will be pleased to answer them. Perhaps you could ask Faux, he knows a great deal of information about your likely questions."

Pyrrha followed the Witch in silence for a moment before quietly questioning, "You can control the Grimm? How?" Salem stopped and slowly turned to face the girl.

"This power is a curse, however useful." She began. "I will explain the full story sometime soon, child. You needn't worry about it now, though."

While most would think that the Witch would simply 'delay' about telling the Spartan her story, she knew that was how Ozma constantly failed.

She would tell her what happened...well...mostly.

Soon though, not right now.

Pyrrha followed Salem on her shaky legs into a bedroom. The room was nicely furnished, but the colour scheme could use a bit of work as it mainly consisted of various shades of purple and black. It looked like something Weiss would live in if...if she was Grimm royalty, rather than basically being Atlesian royalty.

In her mind, Faux was explaining a few things, ' _So, I believe that this will be your new bedroom. Anything you wish to have that was from your previous life...weapons or something sentimental, then Salem will have them found or re-made, okay? Oh and never interrupt her, especially when there are other people around. Okay? She gets really angry..._ '

"Okay..." Pyrrha murmured.

"Child, you are thinking out loud...If you wish to speak to your other half, then you merely have to think, not speak." Salem's voice seemed motherly yet incredibly cold. She seemed to be permanently thinking of something important and was focused on everything around her.

"O-oh, right. Sorry~" Pyrrha smiled nervously at the Witch.

Salem gestured to a set of black and red armour on the bed, it looked suspiciously similar to her old armour, except with white greaves with red markings, while her chestpiece and headpiece were a mix of red and black.

A simple red t-shirt accompanied some black short-shorts and some underwear. "Here is your new armour and sleepwear. Get some rest then see me in the meeting hall, Faux will guide you on your way." Pyrrha began to get dressed as salem left the room. As she got dressed in her new armour, Faux began to sound strange, almost scared.

' _Uuhhh. What are these_?'

Pyrrha stared down at the greaves in her hands, inspecting them for a few moments before responding to Faux's confusion. 'It's armour...kind of like clothes...Faux, do you not know what clothes are?'

Faux's voice scoffed in her mind, he definitely didn't know what clothes were. ' _Pfftt! Of course I know what clothes are...I've just never worn them before, it feels weird...Oh also! Guhh, I don't like having to explain so much stuff...anyways, I feel everything that you feel, just so you know._ '

Once Pyrrha was dressed, she immediately flopped onto her new bed, it was far softer than her old one at Beacon...'Beacon...'

' _Huh? What's this about a Beacon? Tyrian can cook you some bacon, if you want_.'

The White-skinned Spartan thought about that for a moment before she shot up into a sitting position on her bed 'Beacon academy! We got attacked by the Grimm and White Fang...Faux...'

' _Yes, Master?_ '

'Please, just call me Pyrrha...Do you, by chance know how things are going in Vale?'

' _...I haven't exactly been alive for long but I do recall hearing from that Doctor, Arthur, that Vale, at least, is under control. Beacon is a no-go zone though. How come?_ '

Pyrrha stared at nothing for a while, 'I...couldn't help them when they needed me most...I failed...'

A thick silence permeated both her mind and the room for a bit until her newest...friend, spoke up. ' _Well...you have a second chance now, I'll help you to not fail...Okay? Maybe you could go ask Salem for some details after your rest?_ '

Faux seemed to be even more oblivious than Pyrrha in regards to current events, he claimed to have not been alive long. Pyrrha assumed this was due to Salem making Faux immediately after her death.

Sighing, Pyrrha mumbled to herself. "...I need some fresh air..." She stood up and walked over to the purple curtains and attempted to pull them back, but they turned out to actually be made out of a strange purple metal. ' _Pyrrha! don't! Salem will get really mad if you... break her curtains!'_

"Huh...? Well...no, I'm sorry Salem, but I have to know where we are...I'll just move them back into place when I'm do-" Pyrrha forced the metal curtains back with her semblance to reveal a barren wasteland was composed of red crags and giant purple crystals, various newborn Grimm wandered the land, most of which were walking in a single direction away from the castle. "What is this place?!"

' _Just...go see Salem and she'll explain this, okay?"_

"What do you mean Faux!?" The Spartan stood there in shock for a moment before she heard the door creak open behind her. She spun around to see the smug Arthur Watts.

"My, my Ms. Nikos...Didn't you even listen to Faux when he told you to stay away from the curtains? He's there to help you, you know." He pulled out his scroll from inside his coat and pressed a button, "And in pulling back the blinds...you may have just forsaken yourself, depending on Madam Salem's mood, of course...Apologies, Miss Nikos." Suddenly, the now familiar footsteps of Salem paced quickly through the halls, though far-off, Pyrrha could hear every step as loud as the thumping beats of her heart.

'I have to get out of here! According to the doctor, she might kill me if she's in a bad mood, which she will be, because I did something that I shouldnt've!'

' _Pyrrha...I'm sorry...'_

'Faux? What do you me-' Suddenly Pyrrha was hit with a sharp pain behind her eyes. Faux was trying to take control of their body.

 _'We need to stay! Salem will explain everything! She...she isn't bad!_ ' Though his desperate pleas were swiftly drowned out by the primal fear that began to claw its way towards the Spartan's heart as the footsteps paced closer.

'NO!' Pyrrha's mind screamed as she turned and launched the metal curtains through the windows, which completely shattered. She wasted no time in jumping out of the window, using one of the metal curtains as if it were some form of magical carpet to soar over the hordes of grimm, none of which had seemed to even notice her yet.

Back in the castle, Arthur stood by a furious Salem "...Shall...Shall I inform Hazel and Tyrian of her escape?"

Salem turned to face the disgraced scientist for a moment before absorbing a look of total calm, "Hmm, we don't need to bother with hunting her just yet, I anticipated this. ...Such a shame that her soul was so difficult to find. It's almost strange, this girl has taken fate into her hands for her whole life, without ever doing it when it matters. No matter where they go, I can find Faux, meaning I can always find her. We will use her. Though I wonder where she will go?.

The scientist nodded before scoffing lightly. "I know where any sane person would go, and that's away from here for starters ma'a-" His words were cut short by Salem's glare, "Right...so, if I may be excused madam then... I will be getting back to work..." Arthur stood on the spot, too terrified to move without her saying he could. Salem generally wasn't terrifying if you got past the whole 'world destruction' thing, but when she got even slightly angry, she was more terrifying than any number of grimm.

Salem stared off into the distance at the Spartan-grimm hybrid, raising an eyebrow as she suddenly dropped out of the sky. Appareantly Faux wasn't too pleased about the idea of leaving...Good. "Hmm, yes, you are excused Arthur."

"Thank you, madam."

Back on the floating curtain, Pyrrha was struggling for control with her other half. _'Listen to me Pyrrha, if we go back to the castle, Salem can explain everything, I'm sure of it! Why is this even that big of a deal to you?!'_ Faux didn't seem to understand that the Grimm or this place was terrible, probably due to him both being born here and being a Grimm, but, y'know...she wasn't.

"Because this has got to be the Grimmlands! An endless wasteland filled with nothing but death and Grimm. This is the only place in existence where they are known even in legend to come from! I can't stay here and I don't want to!" The two struggled for control for a while until Faux gained control for a few seconds.

 _'Yes, it's the Grimmlands! Salem's home, thank you very much!_ ' He grunted.

As he gained control, Pyrrha lost the use of her semblance and the two dropped like a rock to the cursed land below. "WHAT!?"

'Faux, this place is bad! I can't go back to her! I'll learn who she really is before coming back, okay?!'

Pyrrha hit the ground with a gut-wrenching crunch, she struggled for breath as Faux relinquished control. ' _Okay...if this place is that bad for you, then... I won't stop you from leaving...but could we at least go back to the castle and say goodbye to Salem first?_ " He seemed to genuinely care about Salem, but didn't seem to understand just where they were or what the large amount of grimm that wandered outside of the castle meant, though that wasn't exactly surprising considering Salem created him, he was born here according to him and he was also a Grimm. Pyrrha struggled to her feet, the curtain that she was using as a hoverboard had fallen down into a seemingly endless pit that lay nearby.

"No...I'm sorry Faux, but we need to get back to Vale...we have to..." In truth she didn't know what to do, only that she wouldn't find any answers here.

' _Master...I'm sorry. I just wanted to help you as Salem instructed, but now I've made you lose the curtain, how did you control it by the way?'_

"Huh? Oh its my semblance, polarity."

' _Sem-blance? Whats a Semblance?'_

Pyrrha walked over and stared down into the pit. "Hmm? Oh, right...well, all humans and faunus are born with a special gift. Some people can...absorb lightning while others can burst into rose petals. They're like your very own superpower and every single one is unique. Mine..." Pyrrha felt a tug in her gut as she tried to pull the heavy metal sheet back to her. "Can let me..." She stumbled back as the purple sheet flew out of the pit, the further away a piece of metal got or how heavy it was made it more difficult to use her semblance. The metal clattered to the ground with a heavy thud, "My semblance gives me control over magnetism..."

' _Woah...that's a pretty strong one, isnt it?'_ Despite being a Grimm, it appears that Faux really did have at least human-level sentience, he was even curious. When he didn't know something he immediately changed.

Pyrrha thought back to her life as a huntress in training. She had only ever used her semblance to alter the course of a battle in such a way that nobody would notice...aside from once where she completely blew away an attack from penny polindina from atlas...an attack which cost the robotic girl her life. "Yeah...it...it's quite powerful in terms of combat. It's one of the things that helped me become such a good fighter." She sat down ontop of the metal curtain, which through the use of her semblance, had transformed into a flat sheet of metal that was about the size of a double bed. "Faux..."

 _'Yes?'_

"What will you do?"

 _'What do you mean?_

"Will you try to take control again and take me back to Salem...wait...Sa...lem?" Pyrrha's mind drifted back to a tale that she heard as a child. the tale, which had almost been lost to the tides of time but had managed to stay known to the nikos family, told of the two brothers and how they cursed a young woman with immortality for defying them. The woman was forced to walk Remnant alone for centuries, until humanity and her love would once again reappear. Though the woman, in the centuries of loneliness, hurled herself into a 'pool of darkness', which changed her into a horrible Grimm-human hybrid.

As she pondered this, Faux had thought of an answer to her question _'No, I don't think I will. You seem like a good person, but I still want to know why you don't like Salem anymore...'_

"Okay, I'll tell you"

Pyrrha spoke the tale of Salem out loud, afterwards Faux was silent for a while _'...Okay'_

"Okay what?"

Faux's voice sounded throughout her mind. _'I will not take you back to Salem. I will allow you to go wherever you wish. This body is yours...if you wish, consider me a friend, okay?'_

"O-...okay. If I'm going to be honest, I didn't really expect you to take this so well..."

' _Yeah...from your perspective it would seem a bit strange, I'm sure. Then again, how many sentient Grimm have you met?'_

"Okay, good point..." Things were silent for a few moment before Faux spoke again.

 _'Also, I think you should be the one freaking out right now'_

Pyrrha's head cocked to the side "Hmm? Why is that?"

 _'Oh come on! You literally died, gained an identical Grimm body and met Salem.'_ Now that she thought about it, that did seem really crazy. She hadn't had much time to think inbetween everything happening so she was kinda just forced to go with the flow.

"I still don't think I'm used to this new body yet, but it's certainly getting easier to move, which is grand."

 _'Yeah, Salem said that she had gotten your proportions exact...all of your proportions, that is._ ' He was obviously gesturing to various things that most people would be shy talking about, except perhaps Yang. Pyrrha felt a slight blush appear on her cheeks, which was swiftly followed by Faux's laughter.

 _'Oh, come on! It's technically my body, even if it is a perfect replica of yours. That reminds me, is this body the exact same as your old one?'_

Pyrrha inspected her new body, even going as far to look at her reflection in the sheet of metal. Her hair was it's usual red, her skin had gone to the same shade as salem's and her bust was slightly bigger than what she remembers. But what scared her the most about this sight was her eyes...the whites of her eyes were a deep black and her irises had become a crimson-red. She truly had the body, and eyes of a Grimm. Her arms had visible red veins that almost seemed to pop out of her skin, they travelled from her fingertips up to her shoulders where they seemed to disappear. "Well, my skin and eyes were different, obviously. The red veins on my arms are new too. But, aside from that? It's the same."

 _'Huh, okay. Well...what do we do now?'_

"I...well, to begin with, we have to leave this place, there's nothing for us here...Unless we go back to Salem and as for her side of the story...which I don't think we should do..." Pyrrha pondered.

 _'Alrighty then, lead the way master. Oh, by the way, Salem gave me some of her magic when she created me, just thought you should know.'_

"Magic?!" Pyrrha pondered this as she stood on the metal sheet and began to fly away on her makeshift vehicle. "How...so?"

 _'Well, I think it might just have something to do with me being sentient, not really sure on that one...though if I use it then I think she can track me...so if you still don't want that, then we shouldn't use magic, otherwise she'll know where we are.'_

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Salem watched from her castle as Pyrrha shot off into the distance before turning away "And here I thought only Ozma had terrible plans that required a backup because they are certain to fail...it appears that lesson of his was somewhat useful afterall...Hopefully Faux will tell her the full truth at some point."

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Pyrrha flew for days, exhausting both her aura and her physical strength until she eventually made it, crashing at the docks of vale. Faux had to use some magic later on to make sure that she could keep going, though her aura reserves seemed to have somewhat doubed in this body, for some reason.

Right now though, The Spartan lay there, hidden on three sides by various boxes for a moment to catch her breath, she hadn't eaten anything since pairing with Faux and it seemed as if this body requires the exact things that a human does, she felt hungry, thirsty and she felt more fatigue than she had ever felt in her entire life.

For what felt like an eternity, the Spartan slipped between being conscious and unconscious. The only reason she was even awake was because of this little annoying sound in the back of her mind that simply refused to let her slip off to what would be a pleasant sleep.

The cloudy, distant voice of Faux shouted at her to get up, ' _Master! Master! We have to get up, I hear someone! I don't think they'd be too happy to see us like this_.' Pyrrha groaned as she hauled herself to her feet, Faux quickly bolstered her aura with his own magic to give her a bit of a boost.

She could now also hear the voice and it only seemed to be getting closer. It was a familiar voice that both warmed her heart and froze her bones. The mysterious female seemed to be talking to someone who wasn't present, meaning she probably had a radio or scroll with her.

"No, I haven't found whatever it was just yet. I'll find it and then report back to you. Yes, I will be careful." The voice appeared to belong to none other than Glynda Goodwitch of Beacon. "Are there any survivors out there?" The footsteps began to draw nearer but they suddenly stopped as Glynda inspected a large sheet of purple metal that had lodged itself into the concrete.

Pyrrha moved slowly along the side of a shipping container, her happiness from her old teacher being just a few metres away from her turned to ash and fear in her mouth, if Glynda saw her she would see only a grimm, a beast...

Pyrrha doubted that she would be able to stop her old teacher from ending her if she so wished. As Pyrrha walked away from Glynda, who stood on the other side of the shipping container and was still inspecting the metal sheet, she saw the biggest Beowolf that she had ever seen at the other end of the line of containers. She was trapped between a past mentor that might kill her and a beast that would likely kill her. The pale Spartan stopped in her tracks. _'Hey, Master, what's wrong? We have to find somewhere safe to rest!'_

'But how do we get past the Beowolf? There's no way that I can get past Goodwich and... I'm not sure that she'd listen to me. I look like a demon, after all.'

 _'I don't think the Beowolf will attack you...it's certainly a better option than this 'Goodwich' lady.'_

'Are you sure?'

 _'...No...'_

Pyrrha stumbled and the Alpha beowolf turned towards the source of the noise. It's eyes bored into Pyrrha, but they showed no anger. The Beowolf slowly stalked towards the Spartan, who weakly raised her arms to defend herself but the beast simply lumbered past her. It had acknowledged her as one of it's own.

Faux chuckled for a moment, _'Okay...can I change my answer to your question because I'm absolutely certain that it won't attack you.'_

'Ha...Ha, very funny Faux...' Pyrrha stood up and continued to make her way in the opposite direction of the huntress. As she rounded the corner, the roar of the Beowolf echoed throughout the docks, it's deathly howl was silenced as soon as it began. Pyrrha stood there in silence for a moment before Glynda's voice began again.

"Base, come in. Whatever it was is gone, there was only an Alpha here. I'm heading back for a full report now." Pyrrha remained motionless for a time until she was certain that glynda was gone before moving away from the shipping container.

 _'So, Master. Where are we headed?'_

'I don't know...But we should leave the docks. I'm hungry...and thirsty.' Pyrrha staggered through the middle of the docks until she spotted an Ursa. The beast, much like how the Alpha had done not long ago, stalked towards her without showing any intent to attack. It stood infront of her on all fours. It watched with curiousity as the Spartan reached out her hand towards it, eventually placing it on the top of it's head.

After a few seconds of nuzzling into her palm, The Grimm lay down and wiggled it's back as if it was telling her to get on. _'I think you should listen to it, Master.'_ Faux's voice echoed in her mind.

'Stop calling me Master. Pyrrha is fine.' The young woman retorted as she climbed onto the Ursa's back.

Faux sniggered for a moment before mumbling. _'You're damn right Pyrrha is fine...'_

Pyrrha felt a blush appear on her face, "Faux!"

Her other half remained silent for a moment before bursting into laughter, _"Ha,ha...ha...sorry Master, I couldn't resist. Then again, this is technically my body so...really I'm the one who's a absolute bombshell...'_

Pyrrha sighed as she grabbed two spikes on the Ursa's upper back to steer it and rode it through the most Grimm-infected portions of Vale to look for something to eat.

!

!

!

!

After some time, the duo came across a supermarket. Pyrrha hopped off of her Grimm-mount and staggered inside, she wandered through the aisles to look for something healthy. '*Sigh* everything that's healthy has gone rotten...' Soon, the world-renowned warrior who was known as the 'Invincible girl' had been devolved to being curled up in a supermarket aisle eating baked beans straight from the can with a plastic fork. She was almost glad that no one else was there, or else she would've been too embarrassed to eat.

 _'Umm, okay...so...I guess this is your whole hunger thing done, right? What's next? Water?'_ Oh right, she wasnt alone. Faux was still there

'...Yes, I'm feeling a bit better already.' Pyrrha stood up, brushed herself off and staggered off in search of some bottled water. As she rounded a corner she saw various bottles on a shelf, she quickly downed a few and headed outside to where, much to her surprise, the Ursa that she had rode before was still waiting. As she approached the beast, it bowed its head and lay down to allow her to climb on.

As the Ursa wandered through the barren streets of Vale, Faux decided to spark up a conversation. _'So, where are we gonna go now? Did you have any...people that you cared about before you...well, before you died'_

Pyrrha thought for a moment as the images and names of her friends flashed through her mind, one name in particular caught her attention. 'Jaune...I've got to find out where he is.' The two rode in silence through the abandoned streets of vale for a time until Faux eventually spoke up.

 _'Do you...love him?'_

Pyrrha thought about her partner, more specifically on their kiss before she went to fight Cinder, 'Yeah...i do.'

 _'Does he love you? Truly?_ ' Faux's voice sounded wary. He saw how Glynda reacted to the Beowolf, she had killed it immediately. But seeing the one you love turned into a Grimm...that would be rough. Faux's reaction was more in the interest of their safety, rather than anything potenitally malicious.

'What do you mean?'

Faux sighed, _'Well, I don't know much about love, aside from what Salem taught me, which...involves a magical divorce, dead children and crippling hatred for both parties involved...But, you are...quite different now. Do you think he will still accept you like this?'_

Pyrrha thought about it for a moment. Jaune, the man she had loved since day one might see her as a simple monster when they next meet...or maybe he wouldn't. Jaune always looked for the best in people, he would definitely see her as the Pyrrha that fell in love with him.

While thats what she told herself in the back of her mind, the rest of her thoughts were a bit more paranoid. 'I...I hope so.'

Suddenly, their Ursa mount stopped and gestured for Pyrrha to get off, via more back wiggles. The spartan complied as the Ursa bolted off. 'What had him in a hurry?'

The Spartan's question was soon answered as she heard the roar of a rather familiar Ursa, which was soon followed by a set of human screams. Pyrrha rushed over to the side of a nearby building, peering around it she saw that the beast had cornered two young teens. Uut of sheer instinct, Pyrrha used her semblance to tear a nearby lampost out of the concrete before hurling it at the Ursa. The force shattered through its back plates and ended up impaling it's corpse into the ground.

The two teens, without questioning anything except perhaps how their prayers had been answered, quickly got up and bolted down a nearby road. Pyrrha followed them at a decent distance, she wasn't close enough to be seen but she was close enough so that she wouldn't lose them.

After a few minutes of this, Pyrrha had made it to Vale's largest 'safe zone'. The zone was something similar to a millitary camp, equipped with makeshift guard towers and chain link fences. The zone's population was expected to be increasing soon as a large number of huntsmen from around Vale and the other kingdoms will eventually show up to help with the eventual clearance of Vale.

A few civillians still lived here but most had left overseas. Most of those who hadn't left simply couldn't as they may have had no family overseas who could take them in or something like that.

Pyrrha stood on a footpath a fair distance away from the camp. As she contemplated what she would do, Faux spoke up. _'So, why are we going to go in there?'_

'Jaune has got to be there. He would want to be where he can help, that's here.'

 _'Not many people here now...you sure?'_

The Pale Spartan looked to the middle of the nearby road to see a manhole cover, she walked over to it and pried it off. The road led straight to the camp, so the sewer would aswell...probably. 'No...'

Ignoring the smell that invaded her nostrils and the sets of red eyes that followed her movements from the dark, she climbed down the ladder and made her way to the next manhole. She slowly made her way up the ladder and pushed the manhole cover up slightly so she could see if she was in the right spot yet. The Spartan continued this until she had made her way into the middle of the camp.

Pyrrha poked her head up and looked around, one large command tent stood proudly in the centre of the camp. Due to her past training, she could move without being seen quite easily. She remained rather well-hidden as she crept about the camp, heading from cover to cover as she made her way towards the command tent.

Inside the tent, Glynda Goodwich was talking to someone over a radio. Since the fall of the CCT tower, radios have since proved to be invaluble pieces of equipment. "Yes, the remnants of team JNPR has reportedly taken a boat to patch, they're probably just visiting Miss Xiao-Long and Miss Rose, but they won't be back for a week at minimum"

A few seconds passed and a voice boomed through the other end of the radio. "What huntsman teams are present at zone zero?"

Glynda adjusted her glasses before continuing, "Well, team CFVY left a month or so ago to head to Vacuo. Team CRDL, surprisingly enough, want to help in any way that they can. Their leader, Cardin Winchester, has had...his eyes opened since the Fall, it would seem..."

"Cardin? Is that the 'Bully' that you mentioned? Anyways, continue..."

"Teams ARBN and BRNZ are preparing to leave for Haven academy, though they have agreed to at least wait until other huntsmen show up. Teams NDGO and FNKY are both also preparing to leave for Shade and Atlas respectively and will both be leaving within the next two weeks..."

The voice on the other end of the radio muttered a few curses, Damn...what about SSSN and those third years you told me about?"

Outside the tent, Pyrrha was listening to every word, 'JNPR has gone to Patch? Well now I know where to go now...'

Glynda sighed angrily at the mention of that team, "Well, their leader just up and disappeared so the rest of their members decided to go back home, they've already left for Mistra-" the huntress suddenly stood up from her desk and turned toward the entrance. Pyrrha had accidentally hummed whilst deep in thought, the Spartan quickly turned and made a dash for it. Glynda swung open the tent flaps to see a manhole cover in the centre of the camp rattle closed.

Pyrrha dashed away and climbed back up to the original manhole, pulling the cover back over as she hopped out, Pyrrha then made her way to an abandoned blacksmith's shop, it also seemed to double as a clothing shop, _'Master, what are we doing here? You already have clothes...Well, armour, but we don't need clothes.'_ Faux's voice pestered.

"I know but...I need something to modify this a bit." Pyrrha gestured to herself, "this armour isn't all to comfortable as it is..."

'Y _eah...it's a bit tight around the chest, dont you think?'_ He snickered.

"Yeah..." Pyrrha mumbled as she looked through various shelves and racks for something to help her modify her armour before realising what she had just said, "Umm, I mean! I, uhh...okay, yeah...I suppose it is.."

Faux simply chuckled as she looked about the shop, eventually finding the necessary tools to change it where needed.

 **-About 20 minutes later-**

After that was done, Pyrrha stared at a weapons rack blankly, 'Hmm, these are nice, buuuut...oh? Whats this?' The Spartan walked over to the far side of the rack to inspect a somewhat familiar set of weapons.

This blacksmith had, for some reason, made several weapons that looked strangely similar to her own in varying colours. she spotted a shortsword that seemed to be able to morph into a spear like her own weapon, but lacked the rifle components. Her eyes eventually settled upon a black, red and white mistrilian shield and shortsword combo. _'huh, are these copies of some famous set of armour or something?'_

"well, these are pretty much copies of my weapons, though they could just be similar..." Pyrrha muttered sheepishly.

 _'Okay, just how famous were you as a fighter?!'_ Faux responded.

'...World famous? Anyway...this set seems...'

As she inspected the weapon, her other half seemed dumbstruck. _'Huh...whoever this 'Jaune' guy was, he sure was lucky...'_

Pyrrha scoffed, 'he wasn't the lucky one, Faux...I was...'

The almost Grimm-themed weapon's colour scheme almost seemed to be fitting for her now. _'Well master, I'm liking the colour scheme, personally...what do you think?'_

Pyrrha nodded and walked out of the blacksmith's shop, feeling quite pleased with herself...until she realised something "Oh no, oh no no..."

 _'What?'_

"I forgot to pay..."

If Faux could've facepalmed, he likely would've. _"Master...this place is literally abandoned. The guy who owned the shop wouldn't mind you getting a new set of weapons, I'm certain._ ' In truth, he wasn't certain, but he had to say something to stop his Master from hunting down whichever old man owned the shop and forcibly paying him for the shield and sword.

'Well...I suppose your right, sorry~'

The two continued on their way. Pyrrha wasn't really headed in any direction in paticular, but she did know that she had to get to Patch at some point soon... she had to get to Jaune...

Soon, the Spartan ended up wandering back to the docks, to where the large sheet of metal was still planted into the ground. She only now realised just how tired she was and promptly curled up next to it and went to sleep, but not before using her semblance to make the sheet of metal cover her, hiding her from sight.

 ***for pyrrha's new armour/look, .nz/pin/739645938771978129/**

 ***hopefully this isn't shit. i'm gonna be inconsistent with my writing patterns.**

 ***just in case i didn't explain it well enough, faux/pyrrha's body is infused with salem's magic, allowing faux to bolster pyrrha or maybe even perform other feats, (haven't decided if I should make her more op or not yet)**


End file.
